Black Ranger
by TheGreatHibiki
Summary: One change, no matter how small, can have drastic changes on the world at large. From merely staying by her partner's side and not giving into Adam's hopes of her fleeing, Blake will set upon the a journey that will save the lives of countless people. All while trying to save one from his own demons.
1. Prologue: For Wounds We Can See

One change, no matter how small, can have drastic changes on the world at large. From merely staying by her partner's side and not giving into Adam's hopes of her fleeing, Blake will set upon the a journey that will save the lives of countless people. All while trying to save one.

Black Ranger

By

Hibiki

Prologue: For Wounds We Can See.

-o0O0o-

Blake Belladonna was strong. In her body, in her convictions, in her battles. But she had always feared, and rightly so, not so strong in her will. Seeing her Mentor, her first love standing ready to slaughter innocent civilians, to turn that anger that she knew festered inside him at her, who he said he loved, then to the golden haired vixen who now lay unconscious beside her, bleeding stump of a right arm that had brought home the fact she was absolutely correct in her fears. She was wracked with untold guilt. Adam Taurus, leader of the White Fang, had told her that it would be his mission to ruin everything she loved. Then focused on killing Yang. It terrified her. Because it was true. She loved Yang. Not as a lover despite the occasional bought of flirtatiousness Yang could evoke or what the numerous other people around them thought. The flirting was merely another side of Yang's caring. No, She loved Yang like she loved Ruby, and yes, even Weiss. They weren't just her partner and teammates. They were her sisters in arms, those who had bled for her and with her. They knew who and what she was, and cared only for the person Blake Belladonna was. They were worthy of her love, and to her guilt, this is how she repays it. With pain, dread, and dismemberment.

She struggled to calm her aching abdomen. It wasn't a killing hit, Adam just wanted her hurt and pliant so she couldn't run while he forced her to watch in as he tore away at her protections, in his enjoyment of destroying her first true home. But there was enough left in her to get Yang away, despite the blood both of them shed. Partly in the fear of Adam hurting Yang further, partly in her own fear of the man who she had once loved even more greatly than her friends. She assumed he let her go, knowing he had gotten to her, but she escaped none the less. It took everything she had left to get to the air pads and the safety of teachers and fellow students alike. Weiss and Sun did what they could to keep both of her and her partner from bleeding out, but it did little to keep Blake's ever encroaching guilt. Nearly every fiber of her being was screaming at her to get away from them, to keep Adam and his demented twisted ideals of love away from her precious people. Ruby finally appeared but moments later she and Weiss left, to try and save Jaune and Pyrrha. Scant minutes later, far too much time to dwell on the fact Yang was unconscious and missing her right hand because of her, Beacon Tower, which housed Ozpin's office, the CCT, and Beacon's mainframe was demolished by the giant Grimm, Goodwitch and Ruby's uncle racing to Professor Port and Doctor Oobleck's side moments later as a dreadful feeling bowed over us. It felt like, pain. But not of their bodies. But a heartache they could feel deep within their very souls. A flash of white hit the tower and before anyone could blink it was gone. A figure wreathed in flame flew away from the ruined tower, landing on a hovering bullhead that then headed east, given the older members of fighters reaction that was a bad thing. They all waited on baited breath but for far longer than the Faunas could recollect nothing came out from the growing fog around us but Grimm. Blake thought that most of them in this span prayed. To old gods, new, fairy tales and old ancestors.

Then from the darkness and unknown came crying. We could hear her before Weiss wandered into view, the first to return, her tears and shell shocked steps told more than a few terrifying theories as to why in the seconds of her arrival. Behind her, Blake noticed Qrow holding her last missing teammate. Her chest rose and fell easily, meaning while she was breathing heavier than a sleeping person should, but at the same time it meant Ruby was alive. Somehow, no matter how battered they had all made... it... oh no.

In his left hand was a set of unmistakeable items. It was only with her faunas eyesight that she had glimpsed it at this distance. He approached the group, Sun was closest to the older man, and was asked a question Blake could easily hear from the distance she was at.

"'Nyone here Nikos' teammate?" It was around then she realized that from behind the group, coming from the distant burning Vale was Jaune Arc. Not only was he Pyrrha's teammate, he was her partner, her leader, her friend. Her... Pyrrha had loved Jaune... and as Qrow walked over and briskly handed the boy her effects, Blake realized that the boy had loved the girl too. Moments later Pyrrha's shield landed on the floor, the ruined remains of her spear sliding a few feet from the now kneeling figure holding what brought home to all of us that Pyrrha Nikos was dead. For a moment, Blake could have sworn she saw Jaune smile. But when she blinked all the faunas could see was a man holding the warrior's beloved headband to his brow, screaming her name with such raw pain that even Qrow had to pause and bow his head. Weiss cried all the harder, Blake knowingly for both their fallen friend, but also for Pyrrha's team. JNPR had been a closely knit team with her own, with both teams rarely doing anything without the other. If Blake loved team RWBY like sisters, then JNPR was close cousins to her.

As hunters we knew that one day friends and family would not come back. It was fact, people like them would live as long as they were able, taking as many of the Grimm infestations out as they could, before either the slowing of old age or a lucky Grimm brought them to their usually gruesome end. To have the first one be so close to home brought new waves of pain, guilt, and the feeling of hopelessness.

"B-Blake..." It was Weiss. "That's my fathers s-ship." Struggling to see through tears so numerous it was nearly impossible to know what they were from, her eyes caught a glimpse of an overly ornate but highly armed ship landing beside the Atlesian troop carrier that was beginning to load up the remains of Beacons students and hunters. Blake recognized it immediately, Eis Schnee's personal shuttle. The White Fang had tried numerous times to take it down, but the vessel was far tougher than anything the Schnee Dust Company would use for normal workers. It was easy to see, even through the slowing tears as the ex-terrorist took in this new threat to her family, the remains of the numerous attacks this vessel had taken in combat. "I know he will try and take me away, Blake. I can't stop him. With Beacon gone, Ruby, you, and Yang injured. He has the upper hand. I can't oppose him, not yet. Please watch over our teammates Blake." Blake shook her head, Adam's words begging her to prove him right. To run away.

"No... I can't... Adam... the White Fang will-" She was cut off as Weiss grabbed her close, holding her tightly. It was perhaps the first time Weiss had hugged her, but the usually frigid girl held on for dear life. Amazing what a year of trials and two hours of hell can do when a faunas girl, who had once been a bitter enemy, could wrap her arms around the Schnee heiress without remorse. Blake held on tightly, knowing that when she let go she would loose another precious person to an enemy she could not face.

"If I could I would take you all, but I can't keep anyone else safe in Atlas. Too many eyes in the walls." She eyed Blake's bow, giving the former terrorist an idea what she meant. "Where I am going, all I will be able to do is keep myself safe and try to use my influence to get a new arm built for Yang." Blake pulled back abruptly, her eyes filled with an incredulous expression. "It's literally all I can do for now. I need you to take care of them, please. Until at least Yang can make her way to the White Castle." The Schnee Dust Company headquarters and the Schnee's ancestral home.

Run like she always did, or stay and see where loyalty above fear would get her. Her love of her friends was all she could think about. Where one side begged that she could keep them safe by being near them was weighed heavily with her desire to run away to save them from any possible retributions of her past. But being able to tell Yang Weiss' plan in person, trying and make amends for the blonde's suffering, and to keep the hope of her sisters in arms being together again alive won out. Blake turned her back on the fear Adam had bestowed in her heart and embraced her future. She would remain and keep guard of Ruby and Yang. For Weiss, but more importantly for herself. Even if her mentor stood before her again, she would not run away, she would stand against him.

"I will. Keep yourself safe, Weiss." Weiss hugged her again and words... feelings unbidden poured from her mouth. "I love you, sister, be safe." There was a pause, then Weiss stroked her hair, the snow white jacket covering the girl's shoulders trembled with emotion.

"L-love you too, Blake. You keep yourself and our sisters out of trouble, okay?" Blake nodded, ashamed but not regretful that her feelings for team RWBY had poured out. It made her happy, despite everything, that Weiss understood her exactly. The Schnee looked over to Ren and Nora, both trying and failing to move towards their kneeling leader so at the very least they could mourn with together with Jaune. Her crystal blue eyes glancing around to their remaining friends who laid around them. It evoked a rather horrible feeling in Blake knowing that this would be the way Weiss saw anyone here for some time, and to the pit growing I her stomach, perhaps even last time she would see some of them. The Ice queen as she often was called broke, leaving a shattered scared little girl behind. "I shouldn't leave... I-I need to help. I can't leave... Ruby, Y-yang... Jaune... Nora, Ren... Oh Pyrrha. I-I-!"

"Weiss." It was not Blake who cut her off, but a tall and thin mustached man. A white suit held firm against his platinum hair and piercing eyes. His stature was as cold his name, Eis Schnee. "Come. Beacon is gone. Your shameful and petulant behavior comes to an end, now. It's time to end this farce. We are going home." Old hatred was hard to ignore, especially when coupled with new. Eis Schnee was to the SDC what Adam Taurus was to the White Fang. Both had taken over from benevolent leaders and turned something normal into twisted and darker shades of themselves. The man hated Faunas, it was apparent in the way he glared at Velvet who lay weakened in Coco's lap as the normally cool headed leader glared back, not liking the stare at her partner. There wasn't a single look of respect from the warriors in training, and not even the teachers could respond. The elder Schnee's voice held no tone for rebuttal from Weiss, and to Blake's dismay the younger Schnee seemingly crumpled into herself at the tone, aggravating Blake as she watched her sister nod slowly, almost fearfully.

"Yes father. I... understand and beg for your forgiveness. May I humbly ask for a moment to say my goodbyes to my friends?"

"No." He truly was ice as he turned away from Blake and the others and began to stride away. "I am leaving now. Follow." There was no one who had not heard the man's command, except for maybe Jaune, who seemed oblivious to all. The few in any condition to speak did their best to say their farewell, but the group felt as broken as Weiss did, and no one got more than a few half started, barely audible mumbles. For the girl who had wanted control over her life and had come to Beacon to escape her father's thumb, it was as hard as the fall of Beacon to only be able to look back silently as she climbed the stairs and see her friends and outside of Winter, the closest she felt to family looking back or unconscious amongst the growing fog and before the shattered remains of Beacon. Blake and Weiss' eyes held each other until the door closed, blocking her from view.

Everyone watched as the ship rose moments later, the vessel obviously having a skilled pilot on hand as it took off, a few stray Griffons taking the brunt of it's firepower in a obvious show of power that no one dared comment on. Blake's eyes watched it until it went out of sight, but her ears were already sounds of people trying to move. It was time to go, but she had no energy left, it took all she had to return to Yang's side after Weiss' departure. The day's event were catching up to her as a speed she could barely handle.

"...I can't leave her up there. We need to get her. She's waiting for us, for me I can't..." Her ears perked up at that voice. It came from the blonde of team JNPR who Professor Port had been trying to Coax to the Shuttle. Her eyes drew wide to the figure pulling themselves away from Port's grasp. Jaune's expression lanced a fear of his mental state.

She had seen that look before. On white fang members given the... special jobs. The ones who never returned from those jobs. Like the light had left those poor souls eyes and they were nothing more than- "Walking dead!" Older Hunters and Huntress' looked to her as the younger looked confused by her words but she pressed on, time was of the essence. "Arc is walking dead!" It spurned the older people into action immediately while her school mates stared at both her and Jaune confused. "He's suicidal! Stop him!" She added trying to get the younger group into action, the stab wound preventing her more than sitting up and pointing. It worked only too well, though she felt bad watching Ren try and go beyond his bodies ability and fall back with fresh blood seeping through his bandages. However the momentum and surge of action carried Qrow well over the blonde man's form and slammed the pommel of his sword into the back of Jaune's head as the man proved far more powerful than anyone of them expected. It was shocking that the leader of JNPR was actually pulling those still capable of restraining him towards Beacon Tower. At first it seemed like he would go down, and they would be able to deal with this later.

"NO! PYRRHA!" Jaune Arc, dead last at Beacon with no control of his Aura suddenly flashed a brilliant white and caught himself before he fell, completely ignoring the knockout punch Qrow had given him. The white knight gave true definition of 'if looks could kill' as the older man merely slid back, sword on his shoulder and if it wasn't for the tenseness of his hand she would assume he was bored out of his mind not ready to cut down the unstable person before him if he needed to.

"She's gone. You'd fight your way all the way up to that tower for nothing but a nasty death. But I think you know that. You're not the first person I've seen with that expression. Personally, I could care less, I'd let you go and get yourself killed, no skin off my nose. But those people holding onto you, your teammates you got left screaming at you back there, even my nieces, do. They would follow you, and they would die for it. Because of you." I felt anger that he would throw dare that into the younger man's face, but I understood the effectiveness of it, as Jaune backed down his anger and rage suddenly fading away. "Good kid, nice to see you still thinking like a leader. Help us get the wounded on the ship, if you're up to it, we'll talk later." Jaune nodded then headed to his remaining teammates. Other began moving to help the wounded and Blake noticed that Pyrrha's shield and weapons were being left behind. It hurt her, but the thought of leaving her friend's effects behind to rust away here was worth the small pain she felt. She crawled forward after Qrow picked up Yang and busied herself with collecting the pieces but found herself, once finished, looking as her first real home echoed cries of nevermore and larger unseen Grimm. All the while, the remains of the broken tower sending bits of crumbling stone in a hap hazard beat of doom. Her home was gone. It was all so horrible, but could she leave it behind, no matter it's state?

"Blake." She was brought out of her thoughts, looking into Jaune's sorrowful expression. He looked down into her arms and the weight of his partners weapon and shield never felt more heavy. However his expression remained troubled."Thank you."

"Jaune, I'm sorry." He shook his head, looking exhausted once more. She truly was at a loss at what to say. The two of them only responded to one another at the far fringes of friendship. It was sad to say she was closer friends to Ren than she was to Jaune.

"We need to get on the ship, Blake. We need to leave." The tone of his voice brought the fact to her that this view she had been caught staring at was more than likely the last view she would have, and the thought of leaving coupled with her earlier fear grew again. Without Weiss' comfort she was quickly falling back into her normal Modus Operandi. The more animal instincts were telling her to flee.

"I don't think I can go Jaune. I'll just end up hurting them more." He blinked, She assumed she had confused him.

"Look I don't know whats going on, but don't you think not being there for Yang will hurt her more? For Ruby when she wakes up? You and Weiss-" She shook her head, knowing that he had been lost in his emotions when Weiss had been taken.

"Weiss is gone, her father came and took her away." Her sister in arms was gone, but not dead, it filled her with grief, relief, but also guilt that she could be happy that Weiss was at least alive unlike Pyrrha. It wasn't fair, it wasn't right, and she hated feeling that way. It also stung that this may have been the most direct and longest conversation the two had ever had, and it started about his dead partner and was on her urge to run away.

"Then that means they will need you all the more then." He actually shocked her with how firm he was, and reminded Blake of Pyrrha's comment on how dependable he could be when the chips were down. He carried on. "Don't give up on them, because now more than ever, you all need each other." He never gave her the chance to respond or try to run off as suddenly he lifted her up, and to her continued shock he had done it as if she weighed nothing. Stuck as a passenger in his arms all she could do was study his face, as he looked lost for a moment, then he paused, staring at the tower as his gaze grew distant.

"I never got to say them to you in person, Pyrrha. But I wish that kiss had not been our first and our last." Blake's eyes grew wide at hearing that, but more pain for her friends grew because all they were able to do then, was open the gates to a possibility. But the path was ripped away before they could walk it. Jaune continued, as if she wasn't there. "That I had asked you to the dance, that I had been a better teammate, a better partner, a better person to you. That I thanked you for putting so much of yourself into helping me for so little. That I had been able to tell you the words I didn't even know I felt until it was too late. That I-" He paused, a warm unseasonable breeze caressed them both and he said something that Blake could not hear, despite her closeness and faunas ears. But she knew those words were not meant for her, they were for _her_. Blake watched him, sad and unable to help him as the world came back into focus for him. "Goodbye Pyrrha, until we meet again." She stared back at Beacon for as long as he walked towards the shuttle. So much had changed because of this place. She had learned that not all humans were bad, that even an enemy could become an ally, that her mentor had the wrong idea to try and force equality, that three girls could come from all walks of life had become closer than any others in the span of a year, and that a school designed to make them huntress' could become the home she had always wanted. Beacon had become a part of her life, and it felt like every step Jaune took was another away from the closest she had ever had to everything she wanted.

The moment she laid her head down, once on the shuttle, and her eyes drew to the face of her partner and her leader, a thought struck her. As long as there was a chance at having it again, she would take it. She would do everything in her power to get her family back together as best she could, to keep them safe.

Jaune made an oath to himself. Blake hadn't meant to hear it and it confused her. Later on, once she knew why, she agreed hardheartedly, making her glad she had remained to know the puppet master behind the strings they all had been pulled by. She knew what she would have to do.

Little did she know, that the mere fact that she had remained by Yang's side in this single most critical moment would alter the course of fate, and bring rise of the most formidable team in Remnants past or future. A team that would go on into legend and change the way hunter teams were formed forever more. It's stories would be told to children about the saviors of mankind during the Grimm wars. They would be labeled as heroes, united for different reasons but the same goals, who didn't care who or what they were, only that is help was needed, they would lend aid.

But for the five who would make up this band, and the countless others who aided them in their three year long quest, they would simply call them team BRNJR.

Black Ranger.

-o0O0o-

Next Chapter: For the Wounds We Can't.

AN: Black Ranger, or rather as it would be with RWBY's mannerisms BRNJR. Is a story with more serious moments than fun, given our send off from Volume three with team RNJR walking in a cold, quiet desolate path fraught with peril from the relative safety of Patch towards Mistral's Haven academy, it's not a happy point. The idea is that s simpler soul may save the world, it's the people around that soul that keep it safe. If one more person is added to the team, how much more could they accomplish while we guesstimate what will happen in Volume IV? What benefits does a 5 person team have than a four? Also I post them then run through the chapters on my I phone, using the highlight and define button on my mistakes so it might take me a few days to get every little thing. Until next time, Keep moving Forward. ~Hibiki


	2. Chapter One: For The Wounds We Can't

Black Ranger

By

Hibiki

Chapter One: For The Wounds We Can't.

-o0O0o-

I feel the softness of her body against mine, the trembling of her lips as she gives in to what I had only barely begun to understand. The smell of her hair and it's whispers against my forehead as I embrace her. Her warm circlet was pushing against my brow in slight annoyance but I could care less. It was simply Pyrrha. Before I could even rationalize and rebut, to even just return more than that brief moment of bliss with her, she pushes me into a discarded locker. No room to maneuver, to gain any leverage to pry my way out of it. I knew all too well from Cardin. Fear lances into my heart. Not for me, but for her. All I can do is beg for her not to do it, to come with me, to at the very least let me stay with her. The look of her vivid green eyes still haunts me. So many words unspoken, I understood them all in the instant it took for the booster to ignite. I think I was screaming in anger until the jarring moment I slammed HARD into something.

Apparently the moment the locker crashed into the side of a building it sprang open, and I tumbled out of it, landing badly in the rubble below. The locker barely missed crushing me. It didn't matter, I pulled myself up and began jamming at the buttons of the locker, hoping that it would at least have enough power to return all or part way to the girl my stupid brain had finally understood. But the dust supply was nearly empty, the dented locker was barely functional. It would not fly again. Pulling out my scroll I began dialing before gritting my teeth and restarted. I had just wasted precious seconds because I forgot that my red caped friend had lost her scroll in a previous battle. I only hoped that her partner had not also lost hers. I called Weiss, hoping team RWBY was together. Ruby thankfully was with her, because I knew out of anyone I could count on who could back Pyrrha up it was Ruby, there was just something that I could feel down in my soul about her. I knew she would do everything in her power, everything I couldn't do, to help bring my tall sweet girl back. Having the others as additional back up was all I could do to help the girl who had always been important, but had only realized now was MOST important.

"Jaune? Where are you?"

"Weiss! Please, you have to stop her!"

"What?"

"Pyrrha, she's going after that woman at the top of the tower! She doesn't stand a chance!" Weiss tried to ask about me, but it didn't matter, someone... ANYONE needed to get to Pyrrha There wasn't any TIME! "DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME!" My voice faltered, my adrenaline was at it's peak but the bad landing had broken something in my leg. Only my fear for Pyrrha had allowed me to ignore it and calling the RWBY girls had taken just enough of the edge for the pain to return and cause me to fall to my knees. Hopelessness was enveloping me. I was so useless... all I could do was beg. "Please... You have to save Pyrrha."

"We will... Are you okay?" Rage filled me, and all I could do was throw my scroll with all of my self hatred as I could. "Jaune? Jaune!"

"...Please-" -bring Pyrrha back.

Only they couldn't. My Aura eventually healed me well enough to walk, but only seconds after the massive silver light erupted from the top of Beacon Tower. I had seen nothing like that before and hoped that meant that they had done the impossible. However the scene I limped into was not promising. Nora and Ren were wounded and exhausted but they would be okay, but I was stunned by Yang and Blake's conditions. But there was no word, no sign of Pyrrha amongst the those who walked from the fog moments later. Before me. Ruby was unconscious, curled up in a painful lump in her uncle's right arm. Weiss was exhausted but not wounded when she returned. However she was sobbing uncontrollably, walking towards us woodenly. Everyone around her and I were injured, some seemed as bad as the two Weiss had left behind for Pyrrha and my self's sake, but all I could focus was at the girl I had once thought I loved, silent for all but her sobs, unable to look at me. I barely noticed her once I heard the old man say 'Nikos'. Qrow nodded to Sun and began walking towards me. I suddenly felt more terrified of this man than anything I had had to deal with, merely due to the horrifyingly familiar object in the man's left hand. It was a silent resigned sigh, almost in a casual motion that he handed me something. The sheer lack reaction in the old drunk's face brought home the thought that he had done this countless times before and the novelty had worn off some years ago. It took my mind more than a moment to process what he handed me.

It was her precious shield, Akoúo̱. Inside it was the remains of Miló and something that had brought a hollow numb feeling over the horror and fear. Her headband, something she rarely took off, something her Mother had given her upon winning her second Mistral competition. All I can remember next is taking her circlet into my hands, Akoúo̱ and her shattered Miló clattering to the broken street as a few murmurs of shock and denial broke over the few who were left and still conscious. I pressed the forehead against my own, hoping against hope and praying again that it was all just a bad dream, that the warmth only minutes earlier I had felt would come back and she would be there next to me again, that I could make up for being so dense. But her face, her smile, her beautiful green eyes did not return. For a moment I caught a hint of her scent. If filled me, just like before and I smiled against my wishes, She always could make me smile, I can never describe how or why before this moment. Warm and homely, something you could just accept and be thankful for. It was tinged with a amazing sweetness that hid a feeble saltiness of perspiration that spoke of strength and dedication to her craft, to her friends and family. It... it was everything. It was just simply HER.

Then it was gone, and I broke. She was gone. My Pyrrha was gone. I realized that despite smiling, tears had begun to flow from my eyes without pause.

I fell to my knees, holding that circlet against my brow. It took a moment to realize I was screaming. I know I failed her and the guilt mixed with the pain. I was oblivious to almost everything around me, I could care less. I barely heard Nora crying too, and Ren, even his usual silence was punctuated by moments of harsh breathing. It was as close to admitting the pain I knew he felt in his heart, in public. I rather envied him. I've always worn my heart on my sleeve. My sisters and the lifetime of bullies could attest to that. It felt like someone had just wrenched my heart out.

"Pyrrha..." Why did you send me away? Why didn't you go with me? Why, why did her final act be to keep me safe? No. No.. No... NO.

"C... Come on my lad. We need to retreat." Port was beside me then, trying to move me. Only... he tried to make me go the wrong way. Pyrrha couldn't have been beaten... Not my invincible girl. No way. She was still up there. She was waiting for me. I needed to go to her. To fail like I always do and have her smile, shake her head and speak in ways that had always filled me with hope. A voice I now realized meant when it spoke my name it was usually filled with warm affection, coupled with sweet amusement. The voice of a girl in love. I can't let her down now.

"I can't leave her up there. I need to get her. She's waiting for us, for me. I can't..." I was mumbling under my breath, completely ignoring Port as I stood, energy I didn't think I had left filled me, pushing away the older hunter's arms I began striding towards that tower, ready to kill anything and everything to get to my Pyrrha. Deep down I knew that if I walked away from our circle of friends, into the fog ahead I would only be joining the many who had already died today, and that even deeper down she had joined those many as well. But I couldn't deal with the thought the girl who loved me had died to keep me safe. I wanted to throw away her final gift if it meant I could see her again and beg for forgiveness to realize just how blind I had been. She deserved so much more and better than she got, and I just couldn't deal with the fact that she was gone and I was still here. I don't know if I made sense anymore, and frankly I didn't care. Shouts of alarm filled the air as the few remaining capable of trying to restrain me were alerted to my suddenly crazed mindset by Blake of all people. Arms, begging, screaming lanced out, all of it trying to hold me back, but despite my scraggly nature I was still making ground. WHAM. My head exploded in pain. Darkness began to envelope my eyesight taking away the view of a ratty old red cloak.

"Sorry kid, time to sleep." no... No. NO.

"NO! PYRRHA!" My aura flooded my system. I realized I was falling, but with a quick step I caught myself. Before me stood a shabby form of Qrow, now relieved of Ruby and holding his sword on his shoulder. The son of a bitch actually dared hit him and then stand there between him and his partner? Like it didn't matter!

"She's gone. You'd fight your way all the way up to that tower for nothing but a nasty death. But I think you know that. You're not the first person I've seen with that expression. Personally, I could care less, I'd let you go and get yourself killed, no skin off my nose. But those people holding onto you, your teammates you got left screaming at you back there, even my nieces, do. They would follow you, and they would die for it. Because of you." Fear lanced into my heart. Qrow was right. I had failed her, Ozpin, everyone around me. But to keep walking, knowing they would follow to their doom, would be to fail them completely. I stopped trying to walk forward. The energy that had spurned me sputtered and died. "Good kid, nice to see you still thinking like a leader. Help us get the wounded on the ship, if you're up to it, we'll talk later." I nodded though I'm not certain what part the man meant by if I was up to it. I, frankly, didn't care. Hands still held onto me at first, but as I turned and made my way towards my teammates, they one by one let me go. I reached Nora first, who latched onto me in a shade of her normal strength, soaking my collar with her tears.

"Jaune... No... Pyrrha... Why.." Nora had been a unstoppable force. An always cheerful and commanding presence. This frail girl in my arms was neither. I knew what she was asking, despite the faltering of her voice. I looked to Ren, his countenance was solemn, but just as lost. I closed my eyes trying to rally what little calm I could. I needed to be strong, to be their leader even if I felt I no longer deserved that role, I had to, just a little longer.

"Because it was who she was. She fought so we could live on for her." I knew it was true. Pyrrha would have wanted us all to live. I picked up Nora, she barely hissed in pain as she stared at me. Ren used my shoulder to stand but Nora still stared unblinking at me. I knew what was coming, and once again cursed myself for my blindness.

"Jaune... you know right? You knew how Pyrrha felt, that she-" I cut her off.

"She knew I knew at the end. I think she knew how I felt too." It was stronger and far more curt than I wanted. Because in a way it hurt worse to know acknowledge she knew how I felt and still sent me away.

"Jaune." Ren's hand squeezed my shoulder, but the quiet man said no more. I knew his actions were far louder than his words and while I cannot say I smiled, what little pathetic thing it was, I gave him what I could in reply. The others were being brought in as I finally got my team settled.

"Kid, get Blake." Qrow commanded, heading to talk to the pilot of the carrier. I looked out, and the scene struck me as sad, Blake sitting alone before the darkened Beacon tower, the gloom adding to the feeling of despair. I moved to get her, wondering why people had left her there.

Despite everything, thoughts unbidden came for the scene reminded me of a little kitten that had been left abandoned in a box when I was but a child. People ignored the poor thing, as it cried out begging for help, looking desperately at the world who had rejected it. My family didn't want another rescue animal so I was forced to leave it behind. To my horror it rained heavily that night, and for days after I worried every time I saw the box and fretted over the little cat. I was, however, unwilling to check if someone had taken the kitten or as my imagination kept filling my head, it was lying cold and dead due to my inaction and the villages cold shoulder. My sisters laughter at my feelings on the matter long after the box vanished from the curb side, and their callousness filled me with derision for weeks. In the end, I never knew what had happened to the cat. But it actually was, in a small way, one of the many reasons I had tried to become a hunter and help make the world a batter place. I tried to shake the feeling away, given Blake was a person, but fear stuck me and I moved with far more oomph than I felt, as if had I not, the gloom would swallow her whole, for she had become the embodiment of the lost little kitten in the box I was not going to fail this time.

"Blake." I called out. She started, looking lost and tearful, subtly affirming my thoughts about her, and I finally understood why she had been left behind. In her arms, against her wounded stomach was Akoúo̱ and the remains of Miló had been collected inside once more, Nora was holding onto Pyrrha's headband at the moment, the only pieces we had left to honor our friend with. "Thank you."

"Jaune, I'm sorry." I shook my head, I was getting rather tired of hearing sorry already. It didn't help, it wasn't going to solve any of the feelings I was holding back so I could keep functioning.

"We need to get on the ship, Blake. We need to leave."

"I don't think I can go Jaune. I'll just end up hurting them more." I paused. What? Where in the world did her thought process go in the minutes since Qrow knocked sense into mine?

"Look I don't know whats going on, but don't you think not being there for Yang will hurt her more? For Ruby when they wake up? You and Weiss-"

"Weiss is gone, her father came and took her away." Oh. When did that happen? How out of it was I?

Then, in a way they had lost a teammate too. Was it so odd that JNPR and RWBY always seemed to mimic one another?

"Then that means they will need you all the more then." My conviction was startling to both of us but I carried on. "Don't give up on them, because now more than ever, you all need each other." I lifted her up, she weighed little in my arms, and she looked shocked for a moment. I looked back to the tower, to my partner who had passed into immortality there. For a moment Blake had vanished in my arms and I was looking up at a figure cloaked in bronze and autumn hues. She was looking down at me as she stood at the top of the broken tower.

"I never got to say them to you in person, Pyrrha. But I wish that kiss had not been our first and our last. That I had asked you to the dance, that I had been a better teammate, a better partner, a better person to you. That I thanked you for putting so much of yourself into helping me for so little. That I had been able to tell you the words I didn't even know I felt until it was too late. That I-" I paused, a warm unseasonable breeze caressed me and I gave it my words, hoping that it would reach her. Then it was gone, and the cold returned, the figure in my imagination was missing too. Blake was back in my arms looking sad and forlorn at me. "Goodbye Pyrrha, until we meet again." My throat hurt, trying to keep as calm as I could so my tears would not fall, if they did then I wouldn't be able to keep going. I would fail like I had every single time before now. But those days were over.

I had to keep moving forward. Like she would have wanted.

I did not look back, not even when the doors closed on the carrier and we were off. The world behind me was one for Jaune the naivete child, where he had failed the girl who loved him. The road ahead was where I needed to focus on now. There would be no more chances at failing, no more lost friends, no more whining. I had a goal, no matter how petty it was, and it lit a fire that had all but died. For her, I would make the world a better place. I knew what I would have to do. That woman, I remember her from the tournament. Cinder Fall. She would pay, for not only Pyrrha's death, but Ozpin, and for everyone's suffering I could see around me.

"I will kill you, Cinder." My thoughts grew darker still. "And an Arc NEVER goes back on his word."

-o0O0o-

Next Chapter: To Patching Our Wounds.

AN: To be fair, this piece was originally to be stand alone, the document was labeled simply ARKOS. The majority of this story was not only my thoughts of what Jaune's feelings could be, but my own about Pyrrha's death. This is in fact the first piece of fiction I have written in over three years, only with the last part starting and a small bit tweaked so it fit chapter one. It's all new with Blake catching his suicidal movements being added once I began writing Blake's version of this in Black Ranger. This next part was what I ended up writing along side it and despite everything I feel it needs to be done.

 **Addendum:**

For Wounds That Only Time Will Heal.

At the top of the remains of the clock tower, looking down at the man who had captured her heart say how much he wanted, Pyrrha banged against the barrier that held her from him. It was as if the windows still remained, but would not break no matter how hard she tried. His voice was with her, but foggy, almost beyond her ability to hear.

" _I never got to say them to you in person, Pyrrha. But I wish that kiss had not been our first and our last. That I had asked you to the dance, that I had been a better teammate, a better partner, a better person to you. That I thanked you for putting so much of yourself into helping me for so little. That I had been able to tell you the words I didn't even know I felt until it was too late. That I-"_

"...Jaune..." Her voice was almost horse as emotion was so thick it nearly choked her. "I do too! I feel the same. Oh, Jaune." Tears wanted to fall but she refused trying to keep looking at the man below her as long as she would be able.

"It's time, Pyrrha." The voice was instantly familiar to her and she turned.

"Ren!?" The man standing, looking aloof but somewhat remorseful, was not her friend and teammate, but there was enough similarities that it took her a moment to see the difference.

"In a way." The voice was unmistakable though. "I'm sorry this happened."

"Ruby, she was here, something happened to her, is she okay?" The man's warm smile made her feel somehow safer, despite the circumstances.

"Always caring about everyone. Yes, Ruby will be fine, it merely took a lot out of her. She'll wake up in a few days, back at home." Pyrrha clenched her hand in the other, turning to look at Jaune still staring up towards her. "Time to go."

"I know." She paused. "Will Jaune...?"

"In time. They all will. It's in their nature to keep moving forward." Pyrrha nodded taking one last look, hoping against hope he could somehow hear her.

"I love you, Jaune." His reply came untethered by any constraints and filled her with everything her partner felt.

"-I love you too, Pyrrha." Her smile was brilliant as fresh tears began to flow, and she turned away from the window, walking to the man's waiting hand.

" _Goodbye Pyrrha, until we meet again."_ She only paused a moment to wipe a tear from her eye, she was still smiling.

There was nothing more that needed to be heard.

"Goodbye, Jaune. Until then, be safe." She took the man's hand, and then only the cold dark broken tower remained, the visage of a dragon like Grimm staring down at nothing.

There was nothing more to seen.

A shuttle flew off into the safety of Vale, a young man turned avenger never looking back.

There was nothing more to be said.

 **In memory of  
Monty Oum**  
1981-2015.

Until next time, Keep Moving Forward. ~Hibiki


	3. Chapter Two: To Patching Our Wounds

One change, no matter how small, can have drastic changes on the world at large. From merely staying by her partner's side and not giving into Adam's hopes of her fleeing, Blake will set upon the a journey that will save the lives of countless people. All while trying to save one from his own demons.

Black Ranger

By

Hibiki

Chapter Two: To Patching Our Wounds.

-o0O0o-

Blake watched with a small mount of worry as the two older men brought her remaining teammates into what she assumed was Ruby's, given the decor and the Grimm figures on the shelf, room. The second bed, where Taiyang Xiao Long was laying his older daughter, must have been Yang's before the girl had grown to need her space. She always admired how protective and close the fiery blonde was to Ruby, but no matter how close you got, it seemed that you got to a certain age you just had to be able to have your own place. Blake had been given Yang's room, and only the small collection of Yang colored but too small clothing in the closet set the blank room apart from anything else in the house. The effects that made it Yang's room were just like Ruby's, like her's and Weiss', the small trinkets and personal pieces were inside that room they all shared at Beacon. All they had were the clothes on their backs and the weapons they had carried from the field. Even that wasn't exact, Yang's Ember Celica was just like it's owner, incomplete. In a way Blake was morbidly fixated but disgusted to think her partner's arm and weapon may still be lying in the ballroom of the school.

Qrow and Taiyang had tried to be friendly to the faunas girl but the tenseness they all felt kept them rather aloof from completely relaxing as the days rolled on while they awaited Ruby and Yang to awaken. Blake's exceptional hearing allowed her to hear the more often than not nightly discussions between the two men as they bickered about nearly everything. It was arguments of two men who knew too much about one another, knew the flaws and biting replies that would keep them afloat in the repetitious and round about arguments. One was of letting Ruby and Yang continue to try and become huntress' or to keep them safe and protected at home. Another on what to do with the CCT down and how to communicate to the other kingdoms. Every night before the two sent finally her to bed, they sat down and hoped to see something pop up on the screen of the house's viewer. All they ever received was static or the emergency "Stay calm and be happy' signal Patch spouted with the short range signal towers that were left over from before the CCT's invention. Sometimes they would talk about Ozpin, and sometimes they would just argue for the sake of arguing.

It was the silent nights that hit her the hardest. When one of the men were out and there was no sound at all besides the wind cutting through turning trees and the house settling after the fire went out and the began to cool. When it was only her mind, her guilt, her fears that comforted her against the quiet. She had lost count how many times she had wondered if coming to Patch had been wiser than running away and hiding in Vale. How she had thought about running from the fear of what Yang would say when she realized how much she had sacrificed because of her partner. Blake knew she was strong, but if Yang grew to resent her, to hate her, she couldn't hope to remain, it would shatter her. But there she was, day in and day out, waiting and watching either girl to regain consciousness from the Aura exhaustion both had sustained. However something stirred her from her uneasy sleep finally one night. It was faint, almost lost in the late fall windstorm. Sobbing. She was up and out of the bed in moments, racing to the sister's bedroom and found Taiyang holding a crying Yang as she clutched her father's shirt with her remaining hand while undoubtedly staring at the remains of her right arm. Blake's breath hitched and her hands rose to her mouth in an uncanny resemblance to Weiss when confronted by something. Ambivalence hit her hard as both elation in Yang regaining consciousness warred with panic as the almost week of fear and guilt came crashing to a head.

"-because that's who you are. You protected her just like you protected Ruby. She's alive because of you." The man looked to her, having already sensed her presence, and gave the best smile he could given the circumstances. "She's also terrified that you will hate her and push her away because of it. I can see it in her eyes whenever she looks at you." Red rimmed and tear ridden eyes turned to her and froze the cat faunas better than any command her body could obey.

"B-Blake?" It wasn't boisterous, it wasn't happy, and it certainly wasn't a roar that normally fit her partner. It was a small, quiet, and needy thing. A flame of pleading that she could trample into ash if she followed her instincts and ran. But Weiss' and oddly enough Jaune's words made her steady her resolve and Blake was soon wrapping her arms around Yang. Taiyang slipped away to allow them time as the two girls cried against each other. The apologetic words Blake had said that day were repeated again, this time Yang was awake to hear them, and with that the damn that had kept the darker haired girl silent burst. She said everything, the reasons, the fear, the promise Adam had made, Weiss' father and their teammate's plan for a prosthesis, Pyrrha's demise and Jaune's almost suicide. She finally broached how she felt about her team.

Blake held nothing back, she was completely honest with not only herself but to her partner. As she came to a close however, her resolve faltered, and she began to stutter until eventually she grew silent, awaiting what she could only expect be Yang pushing her away. Perhaps it was what she wanted, what she felt she needed to do, perhaps it was her semblance all over again. "Are you finished?" Yang's voice was blank of emotion and only cemented in Blake's mind her friend's next action. She had never really unpacked, as if knowing it would eventually go this way.

"Yes. I don't have anything left to say other than how sorry I am, Yang. I can understand if you don't want me here, so I'll go." [Slap] Blake's wide eyes and tearful expression was somewhat confused and hurt all the same time.

"Idiot. You better not run again Blake. Why would I want you to go? I lost my arm because I saw someone I cared about being stabbed by some prick with a sword. I lost my cool and charged in." The girl leaned back and Blake saw how emotionally exhausted she was. "Do I hate it? Well yeah, but I don't really feel angry about saving you. I'm just glad you are okay, and maybe I'm just in shock still but I can't hate you because of this Adam jerk who has some creepy stalker thing for you." Her eyes flickered red for a moment but then she cut to her stump and the red died along with her fire. "I just don't know what to do."

"You get better Kid." Qrow was there, looking at his niece and Blake with a baleful look. "But you're still out of it, of course you don't hate her, I bet you don't hate anyone right now, but that will come later. You're going to curse anyone and everyone, even Ruby, when it really hits. This is gonna be really rough Firecracker, but you got family and a friend nearby. Also got a message that what's left of Team Juniper is coming to visit soon too. We're going to get through this, together." The tall lanky man walked over and kissed Yang's forehead before turning a blank look to Blake. The girl could see the gears turning in his head. "Say, can I borrow your teammate here? I need to ask her a few things and if I'm certain, Tai's probably about to blow a fuse if I keep him away from his little girl much longer." Yang calmly nodded and Blake moved to get up and would have had it not been for the frail grip on her night shirt. The naked fear in Yang's eyes nearly broke her.

"I'm not going to run away, Yang. I'll be right back. I promise." Yang swallowed hard and nodded, but was enveloped in a hug from her father moments later, the two talking quietly. Blake spared more than a moment to glace at her still sleeping leader. Ruby remained out, but unlike she had just after her rescue from the top of the tower, her rest seemed far more natural than before. Qrow's raised eyebrow and shift of his head had her following. They were silent until they made it to the living room. "What is it that I can help you with?"

"I never got to say it but, speaking of help, nice catch on that Arc boy's condition."

"I've seen the signs before, I just let everyone know."

"Yeah, interesting thing about that, you called it something I haven't heard out of a kids mouth in a long time. 'Walking Dead'. Where did you pick up that?" There was a tenseness that had not been apparent until then and it had the hairs on the back of her neck raise.

"You've talked about it with Taiyang, you know who and what I am, so you know where." She resisted raising her hand that instinctively begged for Gambol Shroud, even though the weapon was sitting on the bed in the other room.

"That's right, I do. So, now that that is out of the way, let me ask the right question. Are you still working for White Fang or was that little shit that cut my niece's arm off actually about to kill you?"

"Honestly I gave up the White Fang when I realized that they, and Adam, had become the very thing they were trying to remove. As for Adam trying to kill me, maybe he did. I don't really know. I thought I knew him, but he's become so twisted inside that I can't see anything but the monster he has allowed himself to be. But I know when he says something he means it. It scares me to think about him touching Ruby, Weiss, him going after Yang again. All because of me."

"I see. So, are you gonna run? Oz told me you could be a bit of a flight risk, but seeing it first hand shows me you are hanging on by a thread. You're really fighting your nature. That takes guts."

"I-" She paused as her mind went through her options. "-will stay and do what I can for Yang."

"Even if she begins to curse you as the reason for her arm?" Qrow didn't budge. "Even if she gets violent and tries to hurt you or someone else?"

"...Yes. I'll protect them and myself, I won't leave her." Blake flushed at the veracity of her words.

"Even if the person she hurts is herself?" Qrow's question left her bereft of breath. "They try and act strong but Tai and Yang are big softies, and hurts cut deep on them and stay. You see when Summer died, Taiyang shut down. He withdrew and became the kind of person you see today. But before he did, he broke to his core. He was ready to walk into the place Summer had gone and never come back.

"He was 'Walking Dead'. Took me and Ozpin to all we had to hold him down and but we couldn't talk him out of going. You know what stopped it? Yang, holding a crying Ruby, who made him stop. His two innocent little girls asking why he was so angry and what they had done wrong so they could make him happy again. He forced himself back, for those two in the other room. I'm not certain, but as far as I know, since Tai's breakdown Yang only has Ruby. But that may not be enough. She will need a reason to keep fighting.

"Not like you and I, though. We're made of sterner stuff, we just have to shake off the pain and keep going." The man took a swig of his flask.

"You're wrong. I know I feel it, I can feel the same pain, just because I don't show it doesn't mean I don't get hurt. It holds on deeper and festers. I think you know that too." Her nail flicked against his flask with a semi hollow dink. "We just have different ways of running away." Qrow paused and then gave a rare wry grin.

"Huh, not bad Kitten, I think you and me will get along fine, then. Oh and if you play with my niece's heart, I'll end you." Blake spluttered.

"My team are my sisters!" Qrow shrugged as he began walking away and she followed. "Why does everyone think me and Yang are an item?"

"Kid, I dunno, people will think the damnedest things. That me and Oz or Glynda were a thing, or Summer and Tai separate AND together, hell even your Schnee teammate's sister, Winter. She and I hate each other, but people get it in their head that I am into that Ice Queen. That the playful 'banters' we have mean some sort of flirting."

"If I heard correctly she nearly stabbed you through the heart. That's some scary flirting." Qrow actually let out a laugh.

"I guess since I tried to take her head off they must have thought I was trying to get in her pants. Given how tight those Atlesian military clothes are, maybe I should try. Not bad looking. Of course if I tried anything she would probably freeze off my-" He stopped his words as he noticed the look of disgust on Blake's face.

"Please don't finish that sentence. The thought of you having sex with Weiss' sister is NOT something I want to imagine."

"Fine I'll keep my supposed desire to plunge my blade into Winter's person in a sexual sense away from your delicate ears. So, still have that interest in bolting?" Blake paused and tried to remember the feelings of anxiety that had spurned her all week. They seemed to have vanished.

"No." Qrow nodded and took another drink.

"Good, if you can laugh at the bad stuff then you can beat it. Just don't expect it to work all the time. Not everything can be fixed with a joke, Blake." He continued into the room to talk with his family leaving her an outsider looking in.

"I know. Trust me, I learned that a long time ago." She said softly to herself before returning to her partner's side.

-o0O0o-

Day by day, Yang seemed to withdraw from Blake and the two men, going days at a time only staring out at the fading fall as it began it's plunge into winter. For a normally hotheaded girl like her partner, Blake couldn't seem to get Yang to admit any sort of irritation. As if with the cutting of her arm, her anger and drive that had sustained her has been cut away as well. Her flame she so proudly shared had been smothered. Her semblance barely flickered even in the rare times Taiyang's overbearing care and Blake's oft callousness when putting up with the girl's pity party made the girl annoyed. Before her injury the acts could send her into fits of wrath and a golden shower complete with red irises. So also gone, was the upbeat carefree attitude.

If Yang had been the sun, this docile little girl in her place was the moon and it was beginning to drive the faunas into frantic frustration. Her training had brought Taiyang and the trees around the cabin to the brink of collapse at times as she unleashed her pent up rage and fear into every second she pushed herself. The rare times Yang ever stepped outside to watch, Blake found the girl usually staring at her missing arm and would end up being the only times Taiyang could keep the upper hand in their sparring.

Ruby's awakening seemed to keep Yang from slipping further away from everyone else, but following that, all it did was bring more questions. As Qrow brought home two crucial facts, the remaining members of RWBY talked. What did Ruby's supposed abilities mean? How powerful did or could it make her? Not just a huntress but a warrior? Also what could they do about Cinder and her followers? The team of terrorists had infiltrated Haven's students, meaning that the only lead they had to try and stop these people was in Haven.

The trio sat back, resting and taking stock of the facts as Ruby got use to losing almost two weeks. Yang was growing more stubborn and resolute about doing anything but sit in her bed, content to waste away. Little seemed to bring her out of it until one morning Taiyang found Jaune, Nora and Ren knocking at the door. The meeting should have been happy, but as the six of the teens sat in Ruby's room, it felt more like a wake. Ruby seemed to be the only one talking, and for the first time since they talked to Qrow, plans were being made. Ren and Nora seemed the most into hearing what the younger girl had to say, while Yang and Jaune seemed to drift in and out of the conversation, both taking stock of the growing piles of dying leaves accumulating beneath the window. That is until the name Cinder was mentioned and suddenly Ruby was under crystal blue lasers as Jaune pinned her under his gaze. Blake watched as she tried to understand where the knight's emotional stance was while Ruby ignored Jaune's look and kept talking.

To be fair there wasn't much of a plan, and in the most understandable way, it was all one could expect. They would end up walking into an unknown land, against an unknown number of enemy troops, against a virtually unknown foe, who had not only the White Fang but Grimm on their side? It was paramount to suicide with only one basic thing that kept Blake from voicing that aloud. It was crazy enough to work. No one would simply assume Ruby and whoever went with her would walk through the front door at Haven and expose the enemy to all. It was foolhardy, it was naive and audacious. It had a chance of blowing up in Ruby's face and bringing Haven down the same as Beacon fell. But if that was the enemies plan anyway, what did they have to loose? It was far better than doing nothing, and was better prepared than some of Adam's opening attacks with White Fang.

So despite her usually aloof nature, she supported Ruby's journey. It was Yang whose voice finally broke over them as the voice of reason.

"That's a crazy plan, and if you think walking to Haven and telling them three kids are the masterminds behind the fall of Beacon is the best plan you have then you need to stop while you are ahead." Yang refused to look at them. "All it will do is get you hurt or worse. Look. We lost Penny, Pyrrha, Beacon. Some of us more than that. We're not ready, we're just dumb kids who thought they were better and the bigger players taught slapped us down. We shouldn't bother. Just let the grownups do it." Ruby and the others looked down, the momentum the young leader had made faltered under her older sister's words.

"No, we aren't ready." Blake remarked as the puzzle seemed to fall together in her head with a growing dread. "And maybe we'll never be ready, but if these last few months didn't prove my point, I don't know what will, Yang." The girl walked forward, vaguely self conscious about every set of eyes but one brought to bear on her, and continued. "Our enemy will only get stronger, more prepared as we wait for the elder hunters to do something. For all we know by the time they act it will be too late. Think about what happened in Vale on a larger sense. Civil unrest with Torchwick, racial provocations with the White Fang, governmental distaste by the populace with the Breach and Ironwood's army, ending with manipulated fights that had death and unjustified attacks by Hunters suddenly broadcasted to an already confused and scared populace.

"Those acts of aggression then narrated by Cinder Fall that shortly seemed to spout flames of war to anyone watching the CCT. War that seemed to be enacted in Vale's streets until finally with the end of communications it seemed Vale had been lost to Atlas. Everything done was to pull as much negativity into the world as possible. Anyone watching would of course feel some negative thoughts about huntsmen and soldiers to regular people who depend on them for survival. Thoughts that will provoke the Grimm and let them grow stronger.

"I think that is the reason for it all. The fact that the Grimm were not attacking the White Fang, and were letting themselves be transported to the school and Amity Colosseum on top of everything else leads me to think there is a bigger, more powerful, figure behind it all. One who controls the Grimm. One who wants them to win." The sheer thought of someone able to do that seemed insane but her analytical mind could not think of any other reason.

"I knew I liked you, Kitten." Qrow announced as he laid against the doorjamb. His back was against the door way, arms crossed over his chest and a grin as Blake seemed to put it all together.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby cried out, worried by how much he had heard.

-o0O0o-

Next Chapter: Black Ranger

AN: Well it's nice to see people interested in this story, and I very much like getting reviews as it helps support that theory and thus me in keep writing it. I do however need to get use to the fact that RWBY has a smaller fan base on this site than Naruto and other other fandoms I've written before. Stop worrying about how many, just glad I get some. None the less, the story for BRNJR has been forming in my head as I've been writing this chapter, NwaESoFV pt3, and Forge of Life pt4. And man, will this story be a wild journey if I can make it work. I've kept it at three years from the end of volume 3, basically keeping in time to when these kids would end up out of Beacon and into normal life. Sorta like the Harry Potter books being the entire story set in Harry's school life. What that means if I get stuck I can fast forward through rough points and end up at the cooler point in the story without the need of useless filler episodes. I hope.

I will try to put at least one chapter of one of my three stories I'm currently writing a week. So keep in mind it could be three weeks bar a RL emergency between chapters per story.

Reviews:

Raptor010: Thanks and I will try.

Robbie748: Thanks and totally working on keeping this story and the two others going, but more reviews help keep me motivated so thanks again.

NATSUxERZA 123456: Glad to see my stuff can still convey emotion, and yeah I would have loved to see something like that, but in many ways I'm glad they didn't. Glad you enjoyed it.


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